The present invention relates to a meat tenderizing apparatus and process for tenderizing meat. More particularly, the present invention relates to a tenderizing apparatus and process for tenderizing surf clam tongues.
The surf clam is a member of the clam family which has been used in the seafood industry primarily for its meaty tongue or foot portion. Surf clam tongues are commercially significant because of their massive size compared to the more common and popular so-called "little-neck" clams. Because the surf clam tongue can range in size anywhere from 3 to 9 inches, and because surf clams proliferate throughout the eastern seaboard of the United States and other parts of the world, the seafood industry has long desired to make use of the surf clam in preparation of food products.
However, surf clam tongues are rubbery, tough and chewy, and thus are almost exclusively harvested and chopped into fine pieces for use in soups (e.g., New England Clam Chowder). Although the seafood industry has diced surf clam tongues into very thin strips (so-called "clam strips"), even these strips resemble the chewy and rubbery clam contents found in clam chowder, and thus are not as delectable as the more popular "little-neck" clams. The seafood industry has never been able to provide an apparatus and/or process which would render the entire surf clam tongue as a whole appealing to the average consumer. Although the entire surf clam tongue is edible, it has heretofore been impossible to market the clam tongue as a whole due to its severe rubbery and chewy nature.
Several methods have been proposed for preparing clams for consumption in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,808,612; 3,230,578; 3,460,192; 3,646,638; 3,659,315; 3,964,131; 4,279,934; and 4,715,091. Several apparatuses have also been proposed for tenderizing meats in general, such as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 116,166; 446,485; 1,149,336; 1,371,065; 1,452,098; 1,533,882; and 1,639,854. However, none of these methods or apparatuses is effective in tenderizing surf clam tongues to such an extent that the whole tongue can be served as a steak and can be essentially cut with a fork (i.e., an acceptably tender surf clam tongue steak).